Second Chances
by Z's Athena
Summary: When life gives you a second chance after you miss your first, what do you do with it? /SeiGou. One-shot./


**Author's Note:** Wow, this is definitely the longest one-shot I've ever done. 3k+ words, and that doesn't even include my typically long-ass author's notes yet. xD

 **Disclaimer:** Free! and all related characters do not belong to me. Cover art credit goes to tatsudai via Tumblr.

 **Warning(s):** FLUFF.

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 **Second Chances**

 _By Z's Athena_

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The first time they meet again, she is standing at a bus stop, on her way home after a long day. It is warm out and mid-terms are right around the corner so Gou has been spending more and more time at the library to catch up on backlogged requirements.

She shifts her weight from one foot to another as she waits for her ride, thinking to herself how she should have just opted for the more expensive apartments closer to the university, when she hears her name being called.

"Gou? Matsuoka Gou?"

The voice makes her recall something from the banks of her long-term memory and when she turns to look at the voice's owner, she could understand why.

"Mikoshiba-buchou?!" she exclaims upon seeing the familiar crown of flaming red hair atop a six-foot-something, well-built body.

"It _is_ you! Wow. Fancy meeting _you_ here, Gou-kun. Wow. How long has it been?" She can tell that he is just as surprised as she is, but he's obviously more pleased at this unexpected encounter—but then again, she remembers that he's always been quite the jolly one, anyway.

"Please don't use 'Gou' and 'kun' together," she tells him before she can stop herself, but this just causes him to laugh heartily at the familiarity of it all.

"Old habits die hard, I guess. But you should just call me Seijuurou, then, since I'm not the Samezuka captain anymore."

She nods and smiles at him politely, not knowing what else to say, but inside she is already looking over his physique and complimenting him on being able to retain his captain-class muscles. She always _did_ think his body was among the best she'd seen during her high school years, and she could remember fondly how she ogled him one too many times back then.

"So… do you go to this university, too?" he asks her after a moment of awkward silence.

She replies affirmatively and returns the question to him, to which he nods eagerly in response.

Gou thinks that this is where their small talk will end and they'll both be on their way. She really doesn't have the energy or willpower to remain polite, at least not at that particular moment when she's had an exhausting day, but he catches her off-guard when he asks, "Listen, I know this is sudden and all… but would you like to have dinner together? Not like a date or anything! Just… hanging out and catching up?"

She is stunned by his request; it came from out of the blue, after all. However, the hopeful look on his face makes her hold back on outright rejecting his offer. Besides, it's not like she doesn't know the guy or thinks he's a bad person. "Um… to be honest, I'm kind of exhausted right now—"

He visibly deflates at her words, but she is quick to remedy that.

"—but I'm free this Saturday, if you'd like."

This instantly lifts his spirits back up and he nods eagerly— _like a puppy_ , she happily notes—before they exchange numbers just as the bus arrives.

She steps on and bids him good night while he waves enthusiastically at her, grinning as he used to do whenever she was around, and this prompts her into sending him a sincere smile of her own.

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The second time they meet again—this time on purpose—is outside a restaurant well-known among the students of their university. It isn't too fancy, but it isn't of the fast-food-chain sort, either; it's just casual enough for their "hanging out and catching up" intentions, just as Seijuurou told her when he texted her about meeting there.

They dine and talk and laugh and have an over-all good time.

Gou realizes that she's never had the chance to really get to know the former captain of her brother's high school swim team, and she honestly doesn't know why. Perhaps they were simply too busy with their own teams and they never got the break to interact outside of competitions and joint trainings—and if she were to be honest with herself, she thinks it's quite a shame, too.

Mikoshiba Seijuurou, Gou finds out that lovely evening, is every bit as energetic as she's always thought. But he is also more than that. He is charming and polite and nice and incredibly funny. He talks a lot, but not in a boastful kind of way; she surmises he just has a _lot_ he wants to share about himself to her and she finds it kind of cute. He also asks a lot of questions about her and she answers them as she normally would with any other friend—but the way he looks so intently at her as she speaks, as if all of his attention is focused on her and her alone, flatters her and has her blushing when she happens upon this actualization.

The topic of their high school years eventually comes up and they both reminisce the good times they had with their swim teams.

"I remember," Seijuurou begins saying as he leans back on his chair with a wistful look in his eyes, "that I used to have a crush on you back then."

Gou freezes in her seat and stares wide-eyed at him, but he doesn't seem to notice and continues on with his belated confession.

"I remember seeing you for the first time and thinking how cute you were. Ah, not that you're not cute anymore, of course. You still are," he admits rather awkwardly, but he is sincere despite his nervousness and it gives her a little bit of courage to come clean with her past feelings as well.

"Actually," she starts off hesitantly. "I… used to have a slight crush on you back in the day as well." Gou looks into his eyes shyly and she could see that her declaration has very well shocked him.

She doesn't know how he'll respond and a brief moment of awkward silence (they seem to be getting a lot of those) passes before finally, he lets out a good-natured laugh that seems quite reserved, coming from him, but she supposes that it's better than anything she could have expected. Eventually, she joins in with her own bout of giggles because his mood is just too infectious and she _does_ find the situation a bit funny, if not ironic.

"No way! Really?" he exclaims when they manage to calm down enough.

She merely nods in reply and takes a sip of her drink.

"Aw, man," he utters jokingly, but she could sense a tinge of something else from the tone of his voice though she pays it no mind. "Talk about missed opportunities."

Gou thinks then that the conversation is about to turn really awkward and she braces herself, but then he grins at her in an easy-going manner and shrugs. "Oh well. It's all in the past now. I guess it's something we can laugh about now that we're older, right?"

His words cause a tiny little ache in her heart for some reason but again, she doesn't pay attention to it and smiles in return. "Right."

He nods once more in agreement, and if he could detect a hint of regret in her voice, he chooses to ignore it and asks if they should call it a night instead. She agrees and he asks for the bill. He pays—though not without much resistance from her on how she should at least pay half, but he doesn't relent and she begrudgingly concedes in the end—and they leave the restaurant together.

Seijuurou hails her a cab and she gets in, but suddenly, he swoops down and kisses her swiftly on the cheek. Then, he promptly shuts the door without even waiting for her reaction and waves at her with a sly grin as the taxi drives off, leaving her utterly bewildered but also a little bit giddy.

.

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The third time they meet again is 10 days—not that she's been counting or anything—after they "hung out" (she's really tempted to just call it a date, though). She is at the library, typing away on her laptop for a paper that is due the following week. Luckily, she's been making good progress the entire day and so she is finally on the last paragraph when her concentration is broken by the sound of wood scraping against the floor as the seat across from her is pulled back.

Glancing upwards, she is met with Seijuurou's friendly face who cheerily asks her if the seat is already taken. Momentarily forgetting about the way their date ended a few nights ago, she smiles at him pleasantly and shakes her head no.

"Thanks," he mutters as he takes a seat and takes out his own laptop from his backpack and lays out a bunch of textbooks beside it. She takes a quick look at him before resuming her work as he goes about with his own matters.

They ignore each other's presence for the better part of an hour, each focused on their own tasks. Eventually, however, Gou finishes her paper, and after proofreading it once, twice, and then one more time just to be sure, she e-mails her output to her professor and releases a relieved sigh. She stretches her arms with a slight groan which catches Seijuurou's attention who had been so immersed in his own little world up until then.

She smiles sheepishly as he, too, stretches his back and takes a break. Gou has to restrain herself from staring unabashedly as Seijuurou unintentionally makes a show of his glorious muscles, so instead she attempts to start up a conversation.

"I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?"

"It's no problem. I was just about to take a break anyway," he assures her.

She nods, satisfied with his reply, and moves to gather up her stuff so she could put them away.

"You're leaving already?" he asks, evidently saddened by this.

"Yeah. I've been here the entire day and I still have a bunch of stuff to study for at home. Sorry." And it's true; Gou really does have a lot more things to do. She wants to stay; she really does, so she only hopes that that much is conveyed by the tone of her voice.

Thankfully, Seijuurou believes her so he nods in resignation before grinning at her in a way that could only be achieved by one in the throes of the hell that is mid-terms week. She knows the feeling all too well and so stands up and settles for an empathic tap on his shoulder as she stops beside him before departing.

"Do you want to hang out after this week?" she asks, emboldened by the state her hectic schedule has reduced her mind to.

"Sure," he replies, too spacey to even care that she was practically asking him out under the guise of calling it a hang out just like he did.

"I'll see you around then. Good luck with your mid-terms!" she says as she turns to leave.

He returns the sentiment and goes back to his work.

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The eighth time they meet again is way after mid-terms are over. They ran into each other a bunch more times in between, but only briefly like in hallways or when they were out with their own friends. Except for that one time after their exams, they never got the chance to really chat and hang out with just the two of them again. He didn't invite her out and thus, neither did she.

This time, however, Gou is at the supermarket and she is on her tip-toes, trying to grab her favorite brand of cereal situated at the topmost shelf which is unfortunately too high for her.

As she tries once more to get to the blasted box, an arm reaches out and takes it. She spins around, ready to lash out at the person who dares to steal _her_ box of cereal, when the all-too-recognizable grin has her swallowing back her words.

"Is this what you were reaching for?" he inquires as he hands her the product.

"I— Yes, it is. Thank you, Seijuurou-kun."

"No problem at all. You're really quite short, aren't you?" He's teasing her and she's half-amused that he has this side to him as well, so she's only half-offended by his quip.

Her playful pout makes him chuckle earnestly and he takes her basket in his hand to make up for it. She is startled by the disappearance of the weight she was holding on to and bashfully asks him to give it back, but he doesn't give in and offers her his services rather gallantly.

"Ah, but… don't you have your own grocery shopping to do?"

"I was only here for a loaf of bread," he explains as he holds up said item.

"But my basket's quite heavy. I wouldn't want to bother you at all and—"

"Gou, I wouldn't be offering if it were a bother. Besides, your basket isn't at all heavy. See?" He then proceeds to perform a series of bicep curls with the arm that was holding the basket, just to prove his point, and Gou gets so entranced by the wonderful sight of his biceps flexing that she nods absentmindedly in response.

Pleased with her willingness to let him tag along, he dumps the loaf of bread in her basket and starts walking down the aisle of breakfast foodstuffs.

"Hey, Gou, can I get a hand over here?" he calls out and this snaps her out of her reverie.

"Ah, sorry! Here, let me—" She walks over to him and moves to take back her basket, but then he grabs her outstretched hand with his free one and grasps it firmly.

The innocent smile he sends her way makes her entire face redden and try as she (half-heartedly) might to remove her hand from his grip, his hold on her is too strong so she gives up and lets him have his way.

"Thanks! This will be really helpful," he tells her, holding both of their hands up. She looks away in embarrassment and she'd rather eat dirt than admit it out loud, but the warmth of his hand sends tingles down her spine and her heart is going crazy inside her ribcage.

He asks her what else she has on her shopping list and they make their way down it, only releasing the other's hand when needed, but always making sure to resume the hand-holding afterwards. They let go briefly once more to pay for their own purchases, but even after that, he grabs both of their bags in one hand and her hand in the other and then, he walks her home.

When they reach her apartment, he reluctantly lets go and gives her her groceries and utters a goodbye—but before he can even turn around, she stops him in his tracks and this time, it's _Gou_ who initiates the kiss to the cheek.

She has to pull him down, though, because he is much taller, but she manages anyway and quickly releases him when the deed is done. She thanks him, squeaks out a shy and hurried 'goodbye' and enters her apartment quickly before he even has time to react.

Revenge is certainly sweet.

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The nth time they meet again—really, who's counting anymore?—has her watching him as he does laps with his butterfly stroke. She's sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet dipped in and she finds it suspiciously convenient that there isn't anyone else there at that moment.

She presses the button on the stopwatch in her hand right as he slaps the wall and she relays to him his time. Satisfied with the result, he wades over to her spot a few lanes away from the one he was in and hauls himself over to sit right beside her.

Wordlessly, she hands him a towel and he accepts it with an appreciative nod. Silence falls between them, but at this point, it isn't awkward anymore. They've met up so many times and have gotten to know each other more than they could have ever imagined when they were in high school that they've learned to appreciate each moment they spend with each other—even the quiet ones.

He rubs the towel through his hair while she merely stares at the ripples her feet are making across the water's surface. The distance between them is negligible and their arms brush against each other occasionally, but she doesn't mind that the sleeve of her blouse is getting wet or that droplets of water pelt her every now and then.

He then breaks the silence as he drops the towel to let it hang over his shoulders.

"You know, there's something I've been meaning to own up to for a while now." She turns to look at him, wary of the way he just phrased his words. He isn't looking at her, his thoughtful gaze directed toward the empty space in front of them instead, but he lets his hand wander over to hers and he entwines their fingers together.

She waits for him to continue so she remains cautiously staring at him.

"The truth is… I was lying when I said that I used to have a crush on you in high school."

Her breath hitches as he says this, and her mind is racing a mile a minute trying to comprehend where he's getting at. _What does he mean by that?_ She's seriously lost as to what he's trying to tell her, wonders if he's been leading her on this entire time, but before she can come up with more theories, he fixes his eyes on her with the corners of his lips tilted upwards to show an impish grin.

"Actually, I never stopped liking you at all."

His confession allows her to let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and she squeezes his hand unconsciously just to make sure she isn't dreaming.

He playfully nudges her shoulder with his and she turns to give him the iciest glare she could manage, but this doesn't faze him and instead just chuckles at her expense.

"It's not funny," she admonishes.

"I knew it would rile you up," he teases. She remains pissed at him for a few more seconds, then her frown morphs into a smirk as she bumps his shoulder right back. She couldn't stay mad at him for more than an instance, even if she tried.

He lifts their linked hands to his lips and presses a kiss upon her knuckles and looks her squarely in the eye.

"Will you go out with me?"

Her smirk only widens further. "I was under the impression that we've been doing that for the past few months."

He shoots her a smirk in return. "Then… be my girlfriend."

She looks at him carefully but instead of giving him a reply, she averts her gaze and starts swishing her legs back and forth in the water. "Hmm… I don't know," she playfully begins. She pauses for dramatic effect then turns back to him, ready to draw the scene out just for kicks.

"I mean, I never stopped liking you eith—"

But before she can even finish her sentence, he bends forward and plants a chaste kiss on her lips. She leans back instinctively in surprise, as this is the first time he's done something so straightforward, but her reaction makes him draw back in embarrassment and she observes that his cheeks have begun to redden as well.

"Sorry," he mutters. "But I've wanted to do that for a while now."

Her heart skips a beat then, because truth be told, she'd been yearning for the same thing, too.

Confidence boosted up by his revelation, she quickly frees her hand from his grip and moves to cup his cheeks, bringing him down to her level to have another go at kissing.

Naturally, he is stunned at first but he eventually eases into it and wraps his arms around her waist to bring her closer to his bare chest.

They are awkward, unsure of what to even do, but he merely revels in the softness of her lips while she glides her hands downward to rest them on top of his broad shoulders as they remain in their liplock.

Before they realize it, however, the moment is over—though it felt like they could have remained that way forever—and they part just enough to feel their quickened breaths mingle.

They don't utter anything for the next few moments, content with just basking in each other's presence, but he asked her a question and she still hasn't given him a reply.

"Okay," she whispers against his lips, finally, when she remembers.

At first he doesn't know what she's talking about, but comprehension eventually dawns upon him so he lets out a big "Whoop!" and splashes the water with his feet. She laughs along, his happiness easily catching on to her as always.

Gou marvels then at their relationship. She supposes that they could have gone through this sooner had they not missed their first shot back in high school—but this second chance, she thinks as she notices him closing the distance between their lips once more, is definitely well worth it.


End file.
